Storm Clouds II
by la Pianissima
Summary: Varia has a new Cloud Guardian at the same time, Xanxus' sister. A new playmate for the Prince. The Storm roars as the Cloud drifts. Sorry, not good in summaries : Please read my other story, "Storm Clouds" first.
1. Chapter 1 : Destiny Begins at the Door

Woooh! It's been a looooooong while! Anyways, if you're here and you haven't read my first story, **Storm Clouds** yet, I advice you to read it first, seriously. You're gonna miss out a lot of mushy feelings if you haven't read it and other **valuable** information.

For those who have read it, then this story is a bit different but still closely related to the first one. I was influenced by the idea of parallel worlds from Byakuran. So this story is the story of Bel and Cherrie _from a parallel world._ I know. It sounds weird, but hey, it makes a good fanfic idea, right?

It may turn out different, so please bear with me. It goes like this. I'll start from the very beginning with a few changes here and there. Then, it's up to destiny what will happen next. Sumimasen, I'm really not good in summaries, but what enters my mind will be the story, okay? You can hate me for that. Oh, sorry for the OOCness. There are a lot of them here especially Xanxus.

I do not own KHR!, Amano Akira does.

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**Storm Clouds II**

"_Cupid may have linked me with that bratty, perverted prince,_

_But that prince of mine loves me deeply that_

_I don't have any regrets loving him back."_

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Chapter 1 – Destiny Begins at the Door

The peaceful Varia base was abruptly disturbed by a loud bang. Their front door was pathetically smashed to smithereens. The main force gathered and confronted their 'enemy'. Under the smoke was a petite figure. The men blinked as the cloud of dust faded and revealed their 'invader'.

"Close your mouths or flies will enter." Is what they heard. Their boss (and Squalo) wasn't with them, so the voice wasn't shot to death yet. Mammon was frantically calculating the bills in his head and Lussuria was squealing about who this mysterious person is. Apparently, the 'person' was clad in a cloak of black that was all tattered and torn.

"Ushishishi. Who the hell are you, peasant? How dare you interrupt us, the Varia, this way?" The blonde prince barked. All of the guardians witnessed the human-being taking off its cloak and revealing his/her face. And they were shock. An apple blonde lady appeared before them, her hair tied up in a high ponytail.

"Peasant? How _dare you_ call _me_ a peasant? I am Princess Cherrie de Calligenia, Xanxus' little sister and Varia's new Cloud Guardian. And by some odd twist of fate, a guy named Prince Belphegor el Pazzo de Fiore's fiancée." She frowned, eyeing the person who called her a peasant. Her gaze move upright as some piece of metal shined and caught her attention. _A tiara? Impossible! That brat who just called me a peasant is my fiancé?_

"A~re? Bel-senpai's fiancée? Do you know her senpai?" Fran looked maliciously at his blonde senpai, observing the sweat that just dropped on his chin. _Guess he doesn't know._

"Why would we believe you?" Mammon asked.

"It's because she speaks the truth." A familiar voice answered the baby. Xanxus and Squalo jumped from God-knows-where and the raven-haired patted the apple blonde's head, smirking at her grand entrance. The boss glared at his co-assassins and laughed.

"Cherrie, would you undo this illusion you made? You're freaking out my servants." The liger tamer ordered walking nonchalantly towards his office. "After cleaning up your mess, go to my office. I need to discuss something with you."

The lady in black followed her brother's instructions and withdrawn the illusion of the broken front door. Mammon was amazed that he, the world's strongest baby majoring in illusions, didn't recognize the delusion in front of him. Cherrie noticed the shocked face of the Arcobaleno and grinned at him as she head out towards Xanxus' room. The other assassins were silent as a mouse as the liger tamer's sister passed them by. The blonde prince was especially quiet. Hearing the word "fiancée" from her mouth made him feel uneasy. Hel~lo? Xanxus' sister? Whoever decided on that _must_ be crazy.

"Squalo-taichou, is she really Bel-senpai's fiancée?" The frog asked the silverette who was looking at the door slowly returning back to normal. Squalo nodded and turned away, heading to his room to rest. A mission with Boss was the last thing he wanted.

"Shishi. I don't know what's going on, but that undomesticated woman is not worth my time." The prince left and went to his room.

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

"BOSS! WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR DAMNED SISTER DOING IN MY ROOM?" A fuming blonde opened Xanxus' door with a bang. His face was all flustered when he entered. His comforting nap was disrupted when he felt a warm breeze hitting his face. When he opened his eyes, he saw the apple blonde sleeping in front of him, on _his_ bed. He immediately ran to Xanxus room to complain.

"What's the problem with that? She is your fiancée after all. There's nothing wrong in what you two are doing." The liger tamer smirked, mischievousness evident in his glare. His sister was not the type to do that kind of act earlier (the breaking of the door) and he was still thinking about his conversation with her an hour ago.

_**-flash back-**_

"_What do you want to talk about, Onii-kun?" The apple blonde asked as closing the door to Xanxus' office quietly. Her brother was already on the voyage to dreamland when she entered. He leered at her, as if there was something on her face. "W-well?"_

_The older gave out a rough sigh. "Take off that mask of yours. It's unbefitting to your character. And besides, that old man sent you here to live with me for a while. You should submissively follow my rules." He stood up and went to his closet. He opened it up and took out five small boxes and a medium size box. The blonde blinked for a while, not knowing what those boxes were._

"_I believe the old geezer taught you how to fight?" He smirked evilly. "This…" He opened one of the small boxes. "is your ring set. One of them is the Varia Cloud ring, the others are Class-A rings the old man sent me to give to you. The other boxes are your box weapons which I chose personally to my liking. The last box has your Varia uniform in it, along with your badge and other credentials." He laid the boxes on his desk for the young lady to see._

"_Why are you doing this? This is so not the feared Varia boss I've heard about." She grinned. Cherrie received the boxes and put on her rings. One was the Varia ring, the other were in a shade of green, orange and indigo. She infused them all and opened all of the box weapons. All of them were animal weapons and all of them were tigers. _Ah, yes. Personally picked by the man called the liger tamer._ She thought._

"_Like them?" He sneered._

"_Are we sporting some kind of family heirloom?" She joked but Xanxus didn't laugh._

"_That's the Cherrie I know. I want you to stop putting up a brave front, understand? As a princess, you should act all lady-like and stay pretty." He commented and shooed her away. "By the way, you're sleeping in your fiancé's room. No 'buts'. You should know which door is his." With that, the door to his office closed._

_**-end of flashback-**_

"C'mon Boss. It's not like you to care for someone." Bel sneered. His hands were in his pockets and he's starting to get irritated by the minute.

"Shut the fuckery, trash." Xanxus snapped. His evil glare made the blonde prince shiver. The prince hates it when his boss calls him names like 'trash', 'scum', 'fuck' and many more. "Since you're here, I guess I have to tell you."

"Tell me what?" He hesitated to ask him. The maliciousness in his eyes were enough to tell him that he has something up his sleeve that would make his life miserable. "Aside from her being your fiancée, your wedding date is in three weeks." The prince's jaw dropped to the floor. His body was frozen and his tiara slipped a little. "Y-you're joking, right?"

"Do you think I'm joking? Tcch. I don't want to mess with matters of your families."

"Our families?"_  
_

"Cherrie has an elder sister, Sharia who is now the current queen on Nhite Kingdom, the place where she comes from. Their whole household was killed and my bastard-of-a-father rescued them and adopted them so that's why she's my sister. Now, it seems that excavators found the Last Will and Testament of their late father and stated that Princess Cherrie de Calligenia of Nhite is betrothed to Prince Belphegor el Pazzo of Fiore. An authentic document having your father's signature was also found."

"I never heard of that, shishi."

"What do I care, trash?" He scoffed. "Someone will be over today to take your measurements. Oh, make sure you feed your darling fiancée. She hasn't eaten anything yet since she left the Ninth's mansion."

"But, Boss. I mean, she's a wild woman. A girl like her should not be called a princess."

"She's not what she seems to be, Belphegor. You'll soon get along with her. I'll make sure to see that."

With that, Bel left his boss' office spellbound. That was a different Xanxus he encountered. _A very much…sophisticated Xanxus… weird._ Anyway, he really hates this… predicament he's in. He just met an insane woman who blew up their front door, later turning out to be an illusion, ruining their peaceful afternoon, claiming to be his fiancée and now, marrying her in three weeks! Rules in the monarchy, no one should EVER disobey the Last Will and Testament of a late king. But he's not that type of person to follow rules like that. Either way, he cannot anymore run away from this dilemma. _Life sucks._ He found his way walking towards the dining room. The main Varia force was eating an afternoon snack Lussuria made. He paused at the door.

_Xanxus was right. She's not what she seems to be._

There, the apple blonde princess was chatting and eating with the other guardians, talking about her life and everything else under the sun. He stared at her, noticing her basic features. From her tattered and torn cloak, she was now wearing a clean white dress with lavender stitches at the hems. Her hair was let loose and her curls were here and there. The serious look in her face earlier changed to a more cheery and…charismatic front. He didn't notice that he was falling deeply in a trance and a loud 'VOOOOIII!' from Squalo woke him up. He laughed. "Ushishishi." _Well, there's nothing I could do about it. Might as well play along. She's very pretty at least. Ushishishi._

"Bel-senpai, where'd you've been?" Asked Fran in monotone. He was staring at his senpai who had the creepiest Cheshire cat grin planted on his face as he drew nearer to the group.

"Shishi. Boss and I were talking about important matters."

"You and Onii-kun?"

"Yep," Bel stopped walking and leaned on the left side of Cherrie's chair. "We were talking about our wedding day, shishi~" The blonde prince leaned closer and patted the lady's head with his right hand and he gently pushed her head towards his trunk, kissing her in the process (on the head, though). The princess blushed massively. The prince just grinned. The other guardians blinked. "We-wedding?" Lussuria squealed. Cherrie nodded, still blushing. Her heart was running a marathon. The simple fact that she lives with her adopted father (and being a princess) meant that a normal love-life is a 'no-no'. She was an NBSB and it never occurred to her how striking men are when they act all gentlemanly.

"Muu~ When?"

"In three weeks." Bel answered.

"THAT'S SO FAST!" Lussuria squealed again.

"O-of c-course, all of you are invited…" Cherrie whispered, her fingers were twitching. Her face dimmed and was painted a pale color of red. Bel grinned.

"Waaaaaaah~ My dear fiancée so cute! This prince is so lucky to marry you." The men knew Bel was acting but to Bel he was saying the truth. He feels oddly at ease at his wedding, like some miracle will happen. "Why can't I marry you today, Cherrie~?" Bel snaked his arm around Cherrie's collar.

_[Insert author's violent reaction: ano to, PBB TEENS?]_

"Eeeh?" The lady shrieked.

Then, the doorbell rang.

"Th-that must be P-Pierre!" Cherrie stood up, face all flushed. Bel lost footing as his fiancée slid past him, going to the door. "Pierre? Who's he?" Asked Luss.

"Shishi. Must be the guy who'll take our measurements."

"Awwe~ So Bel is _really_ getting married! Children grow so fast these days!" Luss squealed again.

"The prince is not a child, Luss-nee. Shishi." Bel snickered as he went out towards the living room where the front door is. A man in an outrageously pink necktie greeted him and introduced himself as Pierre, a childhood friend of Cherrie. He was in charge of the clothes and other beautifications. He explained that Shaira, Cherrie's elder sister, decided to make their wedding private and only a few prominent people were invited, namely, the Ninth and his guardians, the Varia, Xanxus, the queen herself and close family members.

Half an hour later, Pierre left and said his congratulations to the couple. The sky was painted in a deep hue of orange and the planet Venus was visibly shining. Cherrie let out a yawn and said.

"Belphegor, I'm going to turn in early tonight." She started walking towards the second floor to where the rooms are located. Bel walked along with her, "Since we're getting married and all, why don't we start calling ourselves by our nicknames? Mine is Bel."

"Bel? Oh~ Belphegor – Bel. Okay. I don't have any nicknames in particular, so Cherrie will be fine. You can call me Chei if you want to. Xanxus used to call me that." She stopped at Bel's room. It was obvious enough. A sign board was nailed to the right of the door latch. Written on it were the words: "This is the Prince's room. DO NOT DISTURB."

Bel opened the door for her and walked casually inside his room, his very dirty room. Pieces of chip wrappers, empty bottle cans, energy drinks, knives, wires, crumpled paper, soiled clothes and messy furniture greeted the princess. "Aren't you entering?"

"WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS?"

"It's my room, idiot. You came in here hours ago and you just noticed this mess now?"

"I was tired back then, so I didn't give much attention to my surroundings, but Bel, your room is a health hazard zone! Let me clean it!" She entered the room and shoved Bel out. She closed the door, leaving Bel standing and staring at his room door.

_Ushishishi. How dare she lock me out of my room?_

He waited there for half an hour, hearing the random buzzing of a vacuum cleaner, clanking of the empty bottles and the slight movement of furniture. With his subhuman hearing, he also heard silent curses. He beamed. _This would be an interesting month. I don't mind getting married to a stranger, as long as she'll be my playmate. Fran's routine of bending my knives is pissing me off and her illusion earlier made Mammon spellbound. Plus, she's Boss' sister. Ah, the tingling sensation of curiosity overwhelms me._

Suddenly, all the noise stopped. He assumed she was finish so he faced the door, opening the latch. Cherrie was about to open the latch as well and was stunned when it was opened outward, making her lean awkwardly towards Bel. She unwillingly lounged towards Bel when the wire of the vacuum tripped her foot. Bel stepped back, attempting to catch her, but the force was great. Cherrie slid past Bel's left side, catching his front collar, making him turn around as they fell towards the soft red carpet on the corridor. When they landed, Bel was on top of Cherrie, his lips met hers.

"A~re? Bel-senpai, Cherrie-senpai~?" Fran gazed at them as the regal couple broke their kiss, blood rushing to the top of their heads. The frog studied their weird position and said, "A~no, senpais, sorry to disturb your love-making. Please continue like I never interrupted you. I just came to say dinner is ready." Fran made a shoo-shoo gesture with his right hand and turned around, going back the same direction on where he entered. He stopped after a few steps and swiftly gave his senpais two thumbs-up signs, meaning he approves of what they're doing, so long as they keep it private. Bel wanted to throw a knife at him but he was already far away to make a direct hit.

"Uhmm…Bel…" Cherrie tugged his jacket; face all red like an apple. "So-sorry…"

"Ushishishi. It's not your fault." They were sitting on the floor now, both faces still flustered. _That's it. I think I love her. No one should ever enjoy her cute blushing face as much as I do. The prince will always get what he wants. And the Prince doesn't want to share. She's too adorable! Shishi._ Bel leaned forward towards her and he kissed her again, more passionately this time. The other had no will power to resist (consider what she's been doing all day) and submit to the prince's desire to claim her as his. She won't fall for him that easily. He _has_ to earn that. But she sees this as a good start for their unwanted relationship. And it's all thanks to a door.

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**Finish!**

I know, I know. It sucks. Usually, it'll take me three to four days but this only took me 20 hours. Gomen. It's bad but I'll try to update it with satisfactory information and correct any mishaps I've done.

I'm so sorry if you didn't like this. I know I could do better but the pressure of being in a graduating batch and getting high grades and good reputation really shaken me up. I don't think I can update any time soon, but I'll still try.

Thank you so much for reading! I'm really interested to read your reviews, so please review! Please? If I get many reviews then I'll be inspired to write faster. Haha. I love this story so much and I would like to end it as cheesy as possible, so yeah. XD

**Sneak Peek:**

**Chapter 2 – The Wedding Day**


	2. Chapter 2 : The Wedding Day

**A/N: GOMEN NASAI FOR THE SUPER LATE UPDATE. FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WAITED FOR TWO MONTHS, I'M SO SORRY. AND THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO LEFT THEIR REVIEWS! I WAS FREAKING HAPPY TO KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO LIKED THIS CRAZY IDEA OF MINE.  
**A lot of dreadful things have happened in the first months of senior year (aside from assignments, projects, and corrupted files). But finally we had our one week break so I decided to finish it up. I already finished it two weeks prior, but a virus infected my **only** softcopy and I was unable to access it so I had no choice but to rewrite it again. Anyways, I hope this chapter will satisfy you 'cause I don't know if I did a good job here.

**Very Important Note: **I fast-forwarded to the wedding day and if you noticed, I changed the title from "A Wedding Day Disaster" to "The Wedding Day".

Fuyuki – Dude, I changed the plot once more. You know what writer's block does to you. And gomen for the long wait. I know you were dead the whole time and I also know that this is one of the antidotes I could give you to bring you back to life, aside from "Kiss a Frog" and "Athena Famiglia" and I still don't know when I can finish those two.

And don't forget to leave a review. My story's life depends on it :D  
Beware of OOC Xanxus!

KHR belongs to Amano Akira.

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**Chapter 2 – The Wedding Day**

It was a private wedding. Only a selected few were invited: the Varia itself (with the underlings and such), Nono and his Guardians, the Queen of Nhite and some of her most loyal followers (Pierre included). It was a short wedding, held at a room inside the Varia Household, the wedding of two royalties unknown to the world.

It was for safekeeping, her majesty herself said, that they keep the marriage a secret. Who knows what the mass media could do once they found out a princess married an assassin, and not just any assassin, one of the highest ranking assassin there is on the planet. It would not only badly affect the reputation of the Queen and her country, but also the Varia, then Timoteo, the father himself, and maybe, the Vongola Famiglia altogether. It was only coincidence that two contradictory (status-wise) people were to marry. Either way, they continued the nuptial, as the last wishes of the late kings.

And so, the two royalties stood before the priest, exchanging their vows solemnly, but with a bit of hesitation. Cherrie's hands were trembling, but Timoteo caressed her reassuringly. Bel was so happy; he couldn't stop himself from beaming his Cheshire cat smile, which made the priest shiver.

"Belphegor el Pazzo, do you take Cherrie de Calligenia," the priest said, turning to face the prince, "for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I will." He said.

"Cherrie de Calligenia, do you take Belphegor el Pazzo for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

"… I w-will." Her anxious face made her look so cute in the dress she's wearing. It was only a plain white one, stopping only at her knees and then lace covering it a few inches down. She had a sleeveless torso designed with butterfly lace and a puffy choker. She had her veil already behind her face (Lussuria said it was hot and sweat could easily erase her make up).

Bel was smiling deviously to himself. He was getting married to a girl he just met a few weeks ago. And he has to admit, he had already fallen in love with her. He doesn't know why, but he just did.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" The priest asked.

"I do." Timoteo, Cherrie's adopted father, said, giving the maiden to the priest. The presbyter then gives the bride's right hand to the groom.

"I, Belphegor el Pazzo de Fiore, take you," He took the maiden's right hand as the vicar held it out to him, "Cherrie de Calligenia, to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the woman you will become," he paused for a breath, caressing Cherrie's right hand, "and falling in love with you a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us." He let her hand go. Cherrie then held Bel' right hand and repeated the vow.

"I, Cherrie de Calligenia, take you, Belphegor el Pazzo, to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know." Her face was boiling hot and her flustered state amused the prince. She couldn't make eye contact to her groom and just looked at the ground, "I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the man you will become, and falling in love with you a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us." She let his hand go and smiled at him, blushing still. The priest then bid the ring-bearer, Fran, to step forward. The rings were blessed and the vows continued.

"May this ring be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end."

Bel takes his ring and places it on Cherrie's fourth finger of her left hand.

"I give you this ring to wear with love and joy. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my wife this day and forevermore."

"May this ring be blessed so she who gives it and he who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end."

Cherrie took the remaining ring and placed it upon Bel's fourth finger on his left hand.

"I give you this ring to wear with love and joy. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my husband this day and forevermore."

The couples beamed (though, shyly) at each other, the priest joined them, saying:

"May this couple be prepared to continue to give, be able to forgive and experience more and more joy with each passing day, with each passing year. Belphegor and Cherrie, are now beginning their married life together, we hope that they may have loving assistance from their family, the constant support of friends, and a long life with good health and everlasting love.

In so much as Belphegor and Cherrie have consented to live forever together in matrimony, and have witnessed the same before this company, having given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and having declared same by the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife.

You may now seal the promises you have made with each other with a kiss." The priest said with a hearty sigh. Two hearts were now one, two kingdoms are now united.

At the shot of the words, Mammon, Varia's official photographer for the event, and others with their cameras ready, dashed in front of the altar. The sudden flashes of lights made the bride hesitant to kiss her groom.

"Come on now. No need to be shy, Cherrie-dear. Kiss him already!" Both Sharia and Lussuria said with great encouragement. That only made the girl blush more.

"Ushishishi~ What's wrong? Don't have the courage to kiss me?" He laughed; face inching closer to his beloved wife.

"Sh-shut up… I'm only doing this for dad's sake!" She whispered and she pulled Bel's necktie downwards. Though not seen, his eyes doubled in size as he didn't expect her to kiss him. Well, the priest didn't say who should kiss who. His lips met hers and waves of camera flashes blindingly filled the room. When they broke the kiss, the priest said his final words.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our newly wedded couple, Belphegor and Cherrie."

(Don't princes and princesses have any last names, only their titles? Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

The audience clapped and cheered. Xanxus stood up from his seat and shoulder-hugged Bel, messing his hair in the process, smirking maliciously at his new brother-in-law. Lussuria and Pierre squealed uncontrollably as they hugged the newly-weds. The Queen made an effort to push the wannabe-ladies out of her way and forced Xanxus and Timoteo into a family picture.

"Come on Xan-tan! Cherrie only gets married once!" She said, catching Xanxus' shirt just as he was about to let go of Bel. The Ninth laughed it off as _'a highly unlady-like manner of showing one's happiness"_.

"But sis, I—"

"Mammon, Antonio, Devon, hurry take a picture!"

And the photo sessions continued until the lively Queen announces to proceed to the reception area. Belphegor's underlings greeted their squad commander and showered them with red and white rose petals as they walked up the aisle, going to the Dining Hall.

"Ushishi~ I forgot to tell you how pretty you are today." He whispered.

"Th-thanks. You look dashingly handsome as well, especially without your tiara." True enough, the prince wasn't wearing his beloved tiara (blame Pierre and Lussuria) but instead, it lays on Cherrie's head, the veil attached to it.

* * *

_[Here, I'm gonna do a time-skip because _I REALLY DON'T KNOW_ what happens during the reception except for eating and dancing. I came from another country, so our wedding traditions are 75% different from the Italian traditions. So I'll start at the end of the party, where everyone is leaving.]_

* * *

It was almost seven in the evening when the formal program has ended. Right after that, Nono and his guardians left. The queen's party soon followed.

"If Bel ever made you cry, tell me and I'll throw him in our dungeon, okay?" Sharia patted her little sister's head, smiling up to her ears. "Where's onii-kun? I have to bid him farewell."

Cherrie looked around the Dining Room, but the Boss wasn't there. Lussuria said he left after finishing his meal and he didn't show himself since then.

"Maybe he's in his office, napping. You know, he doesn't like merry-making~" The mother hen clucked.

"Okay. Cherrie, lead me the way to his office, will you?" The Queen asked and the two ladies left the room and walked along the hallways towards Xanxus' office. They met Bel along the way. He had his tiara back on.

"Ushishi~ It doesn't feel right when I don't have the only piece of jewelry that reminds me of my past. —Where are you going?" He said, as spotting the Calligenia sisters walking towards him.

"To Xanxus' room. Onee-san's going to say 'good-bye'."

"Oh~ Let me come with you. He hasn't given us his wedding gift yet, shishi."

Minutes later, they found themselves at Xanxus' front door. It was rather noisy inside, but they were sure most of the Varia officers were gathered in the Dining hall. Who could the boss be arguing with?

With politeness, Sharia knocked three times. At once, the bickering inside was quieted down. "Who's there?" They heard the boss growl. "It's us."

"Don't come in."

"What?! No way." Irritated, Sharia opened the door and saw her older brother tackling a whitish, hairy little creature on his bed. Its tail was wagging wildly as the visitors entered the room.

"I told you not to come in, damnit!"

"Boss, what's t-that?" Bel asked with curiousness. It's not a…

"A PUPPY!" Cherrie immediately dashed towards his older brother who was holding a red ribbon on his right hand and holding the canine's teensy body with his left. It looked awkward to Bel to see the feared Varia boss holding a _ribbon_, and what made it much worse, it was a lacey one.

"Awwe~!" The queen couldn't control herself and followed Cherrie, who was squishing the dog in her arms. Xanxus left his bed and stood growling.

"It was supposed to be my gift to you trashes since I know Cherrie loves small animals. But I couldn't get the fucking ribbon on him…"

"Awe, boss. That's so cute." Bel teased.

"Shut up."

"What breed is it?"

"A Pompom."

_[Ahahaha! I can't imagine Xan-tan saying 'pompom'. Pompom is the nickname for Pomeranians, in case you didn't know. Search it up. They're very kawaii~]_

"THANK YOU SO MUCH ONII-KUN!" The apple blonde princess beamed with eyes twinkling brightly like the stars. "What's his name?"

"— Jeropi." The onyx haired man turn to the open door.

"You just named him right now, didn't you? You sly dog… Bel and Cherrie should decide its name since the puppy belongs to them, technically." Sharia said, patting the puppy on its furry head. The puppy then licked the lady's hand. "What a cutesy puppy~"

"Ahaha. It's fine sis. Jeropi's a nice name, right Bel?" Cherrie said, carrying the small living thing in between her crossed arms. It was half the size of Cherrie's arm length. Bel nodded in agreement. "One of the hardest decisions in life is naming things. Shishi."

"Whatever." Xanxus gave the red lace ribbon to Bel in which the prince easily wrapped around the pup's neck. It struggled a bit, but Cherrie was steadily, yet gently holding it in her arms.

"I almost forgot. I have to go already. I have a meeting with a Viscount tomorrow and I'm telling you, being a queen is such a bother." Sharia said, making one last attempt on petting the white bundle of joy.

"I'll show you the way to the front door, sis." Cherrie offered, much delighted to have such an awesome gift from her brother.

Xanxus received a farewell kiss from Sharia and, together with Bel and Cherrie, left the room. Xanxus just groaned and lay smugly on his bed. Finally, the white disaster was over. He cringed at the thought of it running around the base, barking louder than Squalo…

"…tcch. Maybe it was bad idea to buy a dog. Stupid old man."

* * *

_[Jeropi the Cameraman, from Storm Clouds Chapter Five point five, is in no relation to the Jeropi here, well sorta. Haha.]_

* * *

Meanwhile, 'Jeropi' barked happily as seeing a new environment aside from the gloomy office. Cherrie kept on snuggling her nose against the dog's nuzzle and making baby sounds. Sharia joined her too. Bel was walking behind them and didn't know if he should feel disgusted or should be joining them.

Once they reached the room where everyone is at, havoc emerged. Both Lussuria and Pierre (and some of the ladies-in-waiting of the queen) were squealing wildly, their voices echoing in the empty halls. Everyone who wanted to pet Jeropi came in swiftly in front of the princess.

"So cute!"

"Awwe~!"

"A puppy!"

"What the-?" The Varia men were captivated by Jeropi's cuteness and, although they try to hide it, were blushing as well. Puppies.

"Ow, ma chérie, it's so adorable!" Pierre imitated Lussuria and started wiggling their butts together.

"I know! Big brother gave it to me."

"Boss did?!" Lussuria twitched as tickling the pup on its belly. The rest of the Varia twitched as well.

"EEEH?!" The men shrieked.

"Ushishishi~ It's his wedding gift, after all."

"_Bossu…gives…gifts?" _ Levi thought, sparking a light in his eyes.

"Excuse me but I believe we should get going." Antonio and Devon, the queen's personal butlers, said, gesturing their hands toward the door leading to the main hallway. Cherrie took the front line.

Once at the front door, they said their 'good-bye's and 'farewell's. Pierre was hugging Lussuria in a sisterly way. Sharia and the other ladies were still mesmerized by the cute puppy which drowsily yawned in Cherrie's arms. Cue nosebleed from the females and the in-betweens.

"Take care, principessa. And don't forget what I told you. If Bel ever made you cry, don't be scared to tell me and I'll lock him up in my dungeon. Oh, and _my_ wedding gift is still not finished, so can you wait a little longer?" She said as the last of her ladies in waiting, and Pierre, were swooped away by Antonio and Devon.

"I will, promise. What is your gift anyway?" Cherrie asked.

"It's a secret, although Bel will likely be pleased with it. Ciao~" With that, the queen pecked her sister's cheek and left.

Cherrie stood outside the front door, looking at the queen's horses gallop off into the darkness. Jeropi was sleeping cozily in Cherrie's arms and Lussuria took him, saying he'll make a bed for him and place him in their room. The other Varia men gathered inside the Dining Room again to continue the festivities (e.g. drinking, karaoke, poker and such… Xanxus wouldn't mind, as long as wine is delivered to him).

The princess stood there, gazing dreamily at the moon, thinking about the queen's gift.

_I'm married, huh?_ She glanced at her ring. '_As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you.'__ Yea. It was an arranged marriage. I do not see love at all._

"CHEERS FOR BEL AND CHERRIE! MAY WE WISH THEIR LOVE WOULD EXCEL AND PROSPER!"

Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud exclamation the men from the other room bellowed. _Hyahaha. Those idiots. Drunk already?_

"_Oi, ore no tsuma._"

She turned around and found herself wrapped up against the arms of her new husband. Other than that, he was kissing her all of a sudden. She withdrew; face all flushed, with an irritated look on her face.

"W-what did you do that for?!" She said, looking at her prince who was grinning maniacally at her. His hands were still enveloped around her waist and show no signs of letting go.

"That was for kissing me underhandedly earlier at our wedding, shishi~"

"_Bakana otto."_ She retorted and tried to get away from his grasps. But she couldn't. "Let me go, Bel."

But instead of following his wife's wishes, the prince kissed her instead. He loves her, but she doesn't love him back. Why should he waste time on people like that? He shouldn't have agreed on this wedding. But at the back of his mind, there was that slight feeling of hope that maybe; maybe, she'll learn to love him back, maybe.

_Anyway, that's what we noblemen do right? Marry first, learn to love later._

* * *

**FINISH!**

Ohmygosh. I'm so sorry it's so crappy! Really, I am! The first one (the one that was infected by virus) was waaaaaaay much better.

Kyaaa~ I was fangirling over the wedding parts. _ couldn't help myself but squeal! There's nothing more for me to say but 'I'm sorry' and 'I hoped you loved it!'

I'm so sorry for my late update. And I think I will update late again for the next chapter.

Oh, and I think I have these obsessions with ending a chapter with a kiss and a door. Haha.

_"Oi, ore no tsuma." - _Hey there, wife.

_"Bakana otto." - _Idiotic husband.

**FUYUKI – **I had a hard time doing the wedding part, but, whew! Thank you internet, oh and I forgot I **still** had that video of **you** and **Ame-chan's** wedding! Kyaaaaa~ Memories. Be honored, my un-cute kouhai, you (or should I say, the video) were a BIG help in the Matrimony part :DDDDDDDD I love you ^_^v

**Sneak Peek:**

**-I still don't have a Chapter Title in mind since I changed the plot for Chapter 2, and then there's Jeropi. Urrgh.**

**Originally, Chapter 3 should be "Chapter 3 – A Married Life (Varia Style)" but I forgot the details.**

Please don't forget to leave a review! And thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3 : Wedding Gift Hunting - Part1

****Hey, I'm back!

**I'M SO SORRY! IT'S BEEN ALMOST TWO MONTHS SINCE I LAST UPDATED. GOOD THING WE HAD A SHORT BREAK AND I GOT TO WRITE CHAPTER 3.**

I really hope you like this chapter, I'm not so confident in it, but I did my best when I wrote it.

Thank you Twin for proof-reading it :))

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Wedding Gift Hunting: Sharia-style Part 1**

Three days after the two royalties exchanged vows, a letter from Queen Sharia reached the halls of the Varia Mansion. It was intended for Cherrie and Bel, requesting of their immediate presence at Nhite Castle; asking them to pack some extra clothing and toiletries. As ordered, the two travelled two hours on plane to Nhite Kingdom and sought the presence of the queen.

"Glad you two came." Sharia smiled as she stood up from her chair. A small hill of paper was blocking the view from where Cherrie and Bel stood.

"Why did you send us here, your highness?" Asked Cherrie, curtsying politely. She was still a rank higher than her. When Bel didn't do anything, she pushed the back of his head to make him bow.

"No formalities, please. I only send you two here to give you your wedding gift, although it's not quite finished yet. I still haven't wrapped it." There was a glimmer in her eyes, Cherrie noticed, that made her statement sound mischievous. The older woman rummaged through her drawers hastily. "Here it is."

Sharia handed over a piece of white envelope. No writings, no stamps, nothing. Just a plain piece of white envelope.

_A signed check?_ Bel thought.

_My application form to Harvard University?_ Cherrie thought.

"Open it, darlings~" She said in a sing-song voice. Once the couple opened the piece of paper, their faces dimmed.

It was a shopping list. There were five names in bold and underlined. Under each of those bold words were names Cherrie and Bel recognized as French. But on the last line, there followed an empty line, like those in fill-in-the-blank quizzes.

"Your gift is a shopping list?" Cherrie asked in confusion. Bel smiled. "Ushishishi~ What's this supposed to mean, Onee-san?"

Only a soft laugh came out of the queen's mouth. "So that's where it was! I've been looking for that list for days."

Cherrie handed over the list to her sister.

"Oh! Why don't you two buy all those things on the list? Can you please?" She pleaded, hands intertwined together as if praying.

"What about our wedding gift?" Cherrie demanded.

"I'll give that to you when you're done doing my favor. Please?" Sharia cued her most watery puppy-dog eyes and stared straight into Cherrie's. Emeralds on emeralds.

"Alright, but as soon as we're done shopping, we're getting the gift, okay?" Said Cherrie. She glanced at Bel, his grin showing his agreement.

"Thank you, ma chérie! All six shops are located in Paris. The last shop on the list is very important. I ordered a whole couture of clothes from it!"

"But there is only f—" Before Cherrie could protest, Sharia shoved them out of her office, leaving the more confused Bel and Cherrie gawking in the hallway.

"Bel, sorry for my sister's behavior." She apologizes as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Shishi. I'll get use to it. She _is_ my sister too." He adjusted his tiara and patted his wife's head. "Why don't we go to Paris now? The faster we finish, the faster we'll get our gift, right?" He smiled.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go!" The prince and princess started walking off to the exit. But, on the other side of the queen's door, a mysterious man laughed.

"Sheshe. Why would you send my little brother and my little sister off to a wild goose chase?"

"It's not a goose chase. I've already planned this from the very beginning." Sharia sat again on her chair. The hills of paper work seemed enticing her to have a coffee break.

"It's well planned, if I say so myself. But what if they got to a dead end?" The mysterious man said, voice kind of intimidating.

"Bel is Varia's genius and Cherrie is a whiz herself. If those two couldn't figure out the mystery, then who would?"

"You're right. Ushesheshe~ But why do it in the first place?" The mysterious voice asked.

"They just met and they got married. The Varia is busy sending available people to go on missions and I believe that they don't have enough time to know each other. I only made this because I want those two to develop feelings for one another. You can consider this as a Wedding Gift Hunt slash Honeymoon planned by yours truly."

"You're an evil sister-in-law. Sheshe."

"I'm only evil if you think I'm evil, but I'm not. I'm only helping those two." She looked up to face the man who was now in front of her: a blonde princeling with a tiara. "Now it's time to move our pieces to check."

**END OF PART1.**

* * *

O-okay. I guess this is the weirdest thing I've written so far. I had this challenged face on the whole time I was writing this. But my twin said (no, she's not my biological twin, but I wish she was!) she liked, no, loved it and urged me to write on.

Please review. Reviews are authors' fuel to write on!

**Chapter 3 – Wedding Gift Hunting: Sharia-style Part 2** coming up!


	4. Chapter 3 : Wedding Gift Hunting - Part2

**HERE IT IS! PART 2.**

Proof-read by** pen's outburst**.

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Wedding Gift Hunting: Sharia-style Part 2**

_Four hours later, in Paris . . ._

"Are we finished yet?" Asked a certain blonde. He was carrying loads of shopping bags on both of his hands. His tiara was gone and he was wearing a plain white t-shirt under a black leather jacket. His baggy navy blue pants were accessorized with a silver chain connected from his pants to his wallet. Beside him, his wife was reading the list their sister gave a few hours ago.

"Almost. Only two shops left: Rosa Magnifica and the sixth shop. If I remember correctly, Rosa Magnifica is a block away from here." She said, looking around for street signs. "Yep. There it is." She pointed to a small building with a rose designed roof. "Let's go, husband-dearest." Bel was leaning against the ledge of a small stone bridge. He didn't move an inch.

"Bel? Are you okay?" Cherrie asked, trying to look at Bel's face. He was pouting sadly. "What's wrong? Did you lose your wallet or something?"

He didn't answer right away. "We're in Paris, the city of love, and look at what we're doing. Shopping." He pouted again, shifting his head to the left, avoiding the glare of Cherrie's eyes.

"Ahaha! I never knew a moody Bel could be so cute~!" She laughed and gave Bel a peck on his cheek. "Is that enough love for you, my prince?" She smirked and started walking. "Come on, Bel, before it rains." She looked up at the darkening sky. Clouds were slowly gathering above them.

"Hai, hai."

**.:.:.:.:.:.**

"Welcome, ma chérie~!" A saleslady in her mid-thirties dressed in a white suit and cream skirt ushered the two inside the boutique. "What do we have here? Prinsesa Cherrie! Long time, no see! How is life doing, dar~ling?" The saleslady asked, pinching Cherrie's cheeks with her manicured hands.

"I'm doing fine, Maria. I just got married three days ago." Replied Cherrie, slowly backing away from the lady. Maria is a family friend, similar to the relationship of the Calligenia sisters with Pierre.

"Married?! Why have I not been informed?! And I guess this man over here is your dearly beloved?" Her head turned to Bel. The prince nodded and kissed Maria's right hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Maria. I am Prince Belphegor."

"A prince! Oh, what a fairytale ending, ma chérie~ I so envy you." By now, a couple of other salesladies appeared from behind the counter, admiring the two royalties.

"I don't think 'fairytale ending' is the right term for that, Maria. Ehehehe. . . Anyways, I'm here on my sister's intentions. She sent me to shop for the latest trends here in Paris."

"You don't need to tell me that. She already called earlier and ordered all the newest couture on hand. We've already wrapped it up and all you need to do is pay." Maria waved her hand and two other ladies came nearer, holding two shopping bags in their hands. On impulse, Bel took out his credit card.

"I'll pay this time. You've already almost used up your credit card." Bel stepped forward and handed his card to Maria. Just then, the phone rang.

"Rosa Magnifica. This is Maria speaking," Maria answered and gave the card to one of the salesladies. The saleslady made the transaction while Maria was on the phone.

"Cherrie pie, it's your sister. She wants to talk to you." Maria said, handing the princess the phone.

"He-hello, s-sis?" She hesitated.

_["Have you figured out where the last shop is?"]_

"No, not yet. Where is it anyway?"

_["I'm not telling you. Just remember, you won't get your gift if you don't finish my requests! Bye!"]_

There was a thud sound and the other line went silent. Sharia had hung up the phone.

"What did she say?" Inquired Bel. Cherrie put down the receiver and placed it back on the counter.

"She just said we won't be getting our gift if we don't finish her requests."

"Requests? You mean there's more?"

"Excuse me for interrupting, but the transactions are finished. Here's your card, your highness." Maria returned Bel's credit card and gave them the two paper bags full of clothing. "Thank you and come again." She and the other ladies smiled.

"Thank you too, Maria. It was nice seeing you again." Cherrie, still confused at her sister's sudden call, replied and offered to carry the two bags since Bel was carrying too much already. They started heading out the door and noticed the clouds got darker than before.

They decided to rest for a while and went to a restaurant. Right after they ordered their meal, the rain started to pour.

"Hmm. . ." Bel was gazing out the window, tracing the foggy glass with his finger. "You know, this favor Onee-san gave smells kinda fishy. Sending us a letter, asking us to pack extra clothing, then making us do her a favor by buying everything in her shopping list, plus the mysterious shop she didn't tell us. It all feels kind of weird."

"Yeah, I agree. If this is one of her practical jokes, then it isn't funny." Cherrie said, looking at Bel who was seated in front of her.

"Why don't we take this opportunity to figure out where the 6th shop is?" Bel offered and Cherrie nodded.

On a piece of paper, they scribbled down the names of the shops they've visited:

**Pro Magnifique**

**Imaginaire**

**El Miranda**

**Rama Asha**

**Rosa Magnifica**

"Hold on a second," Cherrie rubbed her chin. "If we only take the first letters of every name. . ."

**PM-I-E-RA-RM**

"PM-I-E-RA-RM? It doesn't make any sense! Hmm. . .What if we took the first letter of each shop. . ." Bel suggested. They crossed out the second word of each shop. The result was "P-I-E-R-R".

"Pierr? Does she mean the pier?" Asked Bel, his nose crinkling.

"That's it! Eureka!" Exclaimed Cherrie. Her voice was so loud, some nearby customers and waiters gazed at her direction.

"Did you figure it out?" Smiled Bel. Before Cherrie could answer, the waiter served them their meal. "So?" He asked when the waiter was gone.

"I totally forgot he had a shop here in Paris! Stupid me!"

"I'm not getting it. Who are we talking about?"

"It's Pierre! You know, the guy who designed our wedding clothes? He has a shop here, and we're lucky, it's just a few blocks from this restaurant."

"You mean that guy with the pink scarf?" Bel asked, sipping his apple cider.

"Yes, that's him. How could I forget?!" She said, smiling. That made Bel smile too.

"Shishi~ Finally. We can get our gift now, thanks to you."

"Let's wait until the rain stops."

**.:.:.:.:.:.**

"Oh! Took you long enough." Pierre was, as usual, wearing his pink scarf neatly around his neck. He welcomed the two. "Excuse my dirty, dirty shop. I just had a sale today and the customers came in like a herd of elephants! Bought everything they could get their hands on. It's a good thing your sister ordered beforehand."

"And let me guess, we're here only to pay, right?" Asked Bel.

"Yes, yes." Pierre appeared behind the counter and placed a small box on top of it. "Here are the ordered open-toed sandals your sister asked of me."

"I thought she ordered a whole couture of clothes?" Cherrie asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"She just called earlier and said she only wanted the sandals." Cherrie picked up the shoe box. Taped on top of it were the words, "Order: Othello's Limited Open-Toe Sandals. Reserved for Sharia de Calligenia".

After paying for the shoes, Pierre glanced at his wristwatch. 5.15pm.

"Look at the time! You two should really go. It's getting late. You have an early flight tomorrow for Austria." Pierre gave the two of them plane tickets to Austria.

"Austria?! Pierre, what are you talking about?"

"I was told that you two are going to retrieve and ship the violins her majesty ordered from Vienna, Austria. Her majesty even asked me to buy you your tickets and book you a room at the nearest hotel." Pierre explained, confused. What was her majesty thinking?

"The ones she ordered two months ago? The ones that are going to be donated to charity?" Cherrie inquired.

"Precisely. Now, off you with you two. You can leave your shopping bags here. I was asked to deliver them to her majesty in your stead. You can bring the sandals, though. You might need it." With that, Pierre ushered the two outside. The sun's setting rays painted the sky with purple and orange hues.

"What on earth happened?!" Cherrie murmured and quivered in annoyance.

"I guess this is what she meant by 'requests'. Shishi~ Interesting." Bel mused and kissed Cherrie's head. "Relax, Chei. It's not like she's making a fool out of us. No queen in her right mind will toy with her younger sister and little brother-in-law."

"Sorry. I'm just tired." She sighed deeply. "Let's go. The hotel's not far from here."

**END OF PART 2**

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I kind of don't like this chapter a bit. I had a hard time writing Pierre and Maria's parts. I'll understand if you don't like it too.

And about the 'city of love' thing, yeah, I agree with Bel. There's not enough love out there! But I promise there will be more in the next chapters, I think. And don't forget to leave a review.

**Chapter 3 – Wedding Gift Hunting: Sharia-style Part 3** coming up next.


	5. Chapter 3 : Wedding Gift Hunting - Part3

It's been so long minna! I thought I already uploaded Chap 3 Part 3 when I uploaded Part 2 a month ago. Sorry! So clumsy of me.

Anyway, here's Part 3. And don't forget to review! Part 4 is almost finished! Look forward to it, okay?

Proof-read by pen's outburst.

* * *

**Chapter 3 –Wedding Gift Hunting: Sharia-style Part 3**

"Uwaaa~ What a nice view! Oh, look Bel, a wishing fountain!" As energetic as a kid in the park, the princess skipped in front of her husband while chasing pigeons. Her childish nature amused the prince, he couldn't stop grinning. Tourists smiled along with him. Seeing a pretty lady enjoying the fresh morning air can really enlighten you and even tempt you to join her. Soon, the neighborhood kids lined themselves and skipped along with Cherrie.

_I'm really lucky to have married her. Shishi~_

When he realized they're getting off course, Bel neared Cherrie to remind her of the violins. The kids were seated on the ledge of the fountain and chatting with the princess. As he neared them, he overheard one boy saying, "When I get older, I want to marry you, Miss Cherrie!" He knows he shouldn't react to the juvenile's outburst, but he couldn't help himself.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble kid, but your dream's not going to happen." He said, stopping in front of a young brunette.

"Oh yeah? And who are you supposed to be, blondie?" the kid retorted. Some of the brunette's friends tried to restrain him from fighting with the older male.

"You've got guts for a pipsqueak." He taunted, arms crossed. Cherrie sweat-dropped.

_Don't tell me Bel got jealous over Mario's little ambition? Hyahaha._

"St-stop it Bel. Don't start a fight in a foreign land." She stood up and placed her hands on Bel's. "And besides, he's just a little kid, let him go."

"Your name is Bell, mister? Like, Belladonna? HAHA!" The kid named Mario taunted back. A nerve popped on Bel's unseen forehead.

"Tcch. No, my name is Belphegor, like the demon you can find in the Bible."

"Yeah, right," Young Mario snickered, "and you're hiding a huge pimple under your bangs." Bel almost punched Mario senseless if Cherrie hadn't wrapped her arms around Bel's waist and stopped him. "Why you little brat! You'll pay for insulting me!"

"C-come on, Bel. People are staring." Indeed, a small crowd has already gathered around the fountain, watching the blonde and brunette with their verbal fight. Some were smiling, some took pictures.

Cherrie whispered, "B-bel. Come on, let Mario go." Bel regained composure. A thought just entered his mind. If Xanxus were to find about this little fight of his, he'll surely punish him for doing so. A petty little outburst should not be entertained.

"Just so you know kid," he leaned in closer to Mario's chubby face and whispered, "You can't marry her since she's already married to me. Shishi." He gave him his creepiest Cheshire cat grin and left while holding Cherrie's hand. The little boy's face flushed red and he retorted, "Oh yeah?! Prove it!"

Bel stopped and gave Cherrie a long kiss on the lips. "There's my proof, now leave us alone, kid."

**.:.:.:.:.:.**

"That wasn't very nice, Bel." Cherrie pouted as she put on her lip balm. Bel smudged it when he gave his sudden kiss.

"It's not my fault. He started it!" He bellowed, leaning against a brick wall. They were now only a few meters away from the music store where his sister ordered the violins.

"But you shouldn't have picked a fight with him. He's just a kid—"

"And that's why I'm angry. Kids can dream all they want, not even thinking of the consequences, which irritates us adults since we consider every single detail and work hard just to attain it. I hate kids."

"Does that mean you don't want a kid yourself?" Cherrie suddenly said, in more of a whisper.

"What?"

"Nothing. Let's go. Those violins are waiting for us." She started walking and left Bel in a daze to ponder on what she said.

"Welcome. Can I help you ma'am, sir?" an old man in his mid-fifties was standing behind the counter of the music shop. Behind him, violins, violas, clarinets, bassoons and a triangle were displayed hanging on the wall. On the glass counter, strings, DIY oboe reeds, piano keys, guitar picks, and all other musical pieces you can imagine were neatly organize. On the right side of the shop stood an old, but clearly maintained, glossy white grand piano. Cherrie eyed it instantly.

"You like it Miss? That's Rosaline. The last piano my father made a long, long time ago." The old man said. The door behind the counter opened and out came a man in his late twenties. One look from Cherrie and knew exactly what she wanted.

"You must be Princess Cherrie de Calligenia, I presume? My name is Antonio di Angelo. This is my father, Frederico." He gestured to the older man. Frederico bowed slightly. "The documents are ready for the shipping, although, we're still not finished packing the vio-I mean, fiddles securely." The younger man said, bowing.

"Y-yes, that's me. It's nice to meet you good sirs." Cherrie smiled. "This is my husband, Prince Bel. The queen asked us to retrieve the violins on her behalf. She's been very busy these days."

"Ahh, we understand. She sound rush on the phone last night too." Says Antonio. He took out pieces of paper for Cherrie to sign.

"She called you too?" Cherrie inquired. _Odd._ She thought as scribbling her signature on the documents for shipping.

"Yes, and uhm, she said to give you this letter." He handed her another piece of paper. "I wrote it down as she instructed me to."

When Cherrie and Bel read the letter, they didn't hesitate to read it again.

In it wrote:

_Dear Cherrie and Bel,_

_Thank you so much for buying everything on my shopping list and for taking care of the fiddles. But your gift is still not wrapped! Mind doing two more favors? Please? It will be the last ones, I promise, I think._

_After signing the documents for the fiddles, can you please escort Earl Vincent's escutcheon flag to his summer house there in Vienna? Mr. Frederico already has the flag in his possession. I just need both of you to escort it safely. He paid a remarkably high price just to have it made. Earl Vincent is currently not there, but kindly give it to Mr. Wallace, he's the caretaker of the summer house._

_I have an IMPORTANT, I repeat, IMPORTANT meeting with the Prince of Gothsberg, but with my busy state, I could not meet him on the date we planned, which is the day after you read this message. I don't want to cancel this meeting because it concerns the future of a recovering allied country. I can't tell you the details in this letter, but can both of you go in my stead? You are only to retrieve an envelope from the Prince. I already contacted him and explained that both of you will claim it on my behalf. Remember, it's an IMPORTANT envelope. Once you retrieve it, you can fly back here to Nhite._

_Thank you so much!_

_-SdC_

"She's sending us on another quest. Two this time." Muttered Cherrie. She gloomily folded the letter and placed it in her pocket.

"Great. And I hope this will be _the last_ one." Sighed Bel. His attention suddenly drifted to the white grand piano. Cherrie noticed his sudden movement and asked him, "Do you want it?"

Bel was startled. Not for the fact that she suggested to buy the expensive musical instrument, but the tone of her voice when she said it: Very gentle, very sweet. He remembered the first sentence he heard her say: _Close your mouths or flies will enter._ He grinned. You would never imagine a princess could say that in a sneering tone. Yet, here she is.

"Why? Would you buy it for me?" He asked, amused by his princess.

"I would. I always wanted to give you a gift, for accepting me in your life. I never could muster a proper 'thank you' for it." She said, her face a bit gloomy.

"You don't need to do that. Your 'I do' was enough. Shishi." He patted her head and grinned his Cheshire smile. She smiled back.

"Sorry I'm late father!" The front door suddenly opened and a young brunette appeared, face all flushed from running. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face like horses on a race track.

"Mario!" The two men in the counter bellowed. "Where have you been?!" Asked Antonio.

"I was. . . uhm, doing my chores with mother. . ." Mario answered, not looking at his father's face. He didn't even notice that Bel and Cherrie were in the room.

"Liar. He was playing with his friends and even had the guts to try picking fight with me." Bel sneered. Antonio sighed deeply and shook his head.

"My apologies, Prince Bel. I'm deeply for his behavior towards you and I take full responsibility for it." Antonio bowed. Frederico bowed as well.

"P-prince Bel?" Mario stuttered. "He's a prince, for real?!" Mario's auburn eyes were shimmering with disbelief. Bel grinned and nodded. Cherrie gave an awkward smile.

"There's no need for that, Mr. Antonio. No harm was done." Cherrie managed to say.

"Thank you for your kindness, Princess Cherrie."

Frederico glared at his grandson who was now having a staring contest with the prince.

"To repent for what you did, Mario, why don't you escort our customers to Earl Vincent's house?" Frederico took out from under the counter a shoe-size box wrapped in red linen and a yellow bow. It was the container of Earl Vincent's escutcheon.

"Eeeh?! B-but!" The young brunette yelped.

"What a wonderful idea, father. While you accompany his highnesses, we will finish packing the fiddles. No buts, Mario. You should thank her highness for letting you off so easily." Antonio said, tapping the top of the escutcheon's box.

"Go on, now, you three. The Earl's house is not far from here. When you get back, the fiddles will be safely aboard the transportation truck her majesty, the queen sent." Frederico gave the box to Bel to hold. "Have a safe trip you three."

"O-okay then. We'll see you later, Mr. Antonio, Mr. Frederico." Cherrie waved 'goodbye' to the two men. She turned to the door, her right arm locked with Bel's left.

**.:.:.:.:.:.**

For the first five minutes of walking, nobody said a word. Mario was leading the way, hands crossed behind his head, sauntering like a neighborhood bully. Bel was holding the box, his face a bit irritated and Cherrie was walking beside him.

"Um, how far is the Earl's house, Mario?" Cherrie asked, not able to tolerate the awkward silence befallen upon them.

Mario stopped walking and turned around to face the couple. He pointed somewhere in the distance behind him. "See that hill over there? The Earl owns that hill and his summer house is on the foot of it. It won't take long. Maybe ten to twenty more minutes of walking." He said in a sharp matter-of-fact tone.

"Can't we just rent a taxi or whatever? The prince should not be walking a great dista—" He didn't finish his sentence when Cherrie dug her elbow on his stomach.

"Don't mind him, Mario. We're just tired, that's all."

"But's it's only nine in the morning. How could both of you be tired?"

"It's a long story. We've been given unusual tasks since yesterday." Cherrie said, eyeing Bel.

"Oh. . ." Mario continued leading the way, hands still behind his back. The streets were not crowded and the sky was clear as a crystal ball. "So, you two are really married? It's not just a joke pimple-face here said to make me angry?"

"Who are you calling a pimple-face?!" Bel gritted his teeth. Cherrie laughed. "Of course it's _not_ a joke, kid."

Cherrie sighed. _How come these two act so childishly?_ She thought. They continued walking for a few more minutes until Mario said something that made the regal couple stop in their tracks.

"Do you have kids or anything? If you do, I bet they look very pretty and very kind like Ms. Cherrie. If you don't, then Mr. Pimple-face must be incapable of giving you one. Our local priest said that marriage cannot be complete without a child being born. But if either of the couple is incapable, then a divorce can be filed. So if Pimple-face here is incapable, then I'll gladly take his place as your husband, Ms. Cherrie." Even if his face was unseen, Bel's eyes were burning with rage.

_Does he want to die early?!_ Bel's hands were trembling with anger. Cherrie chuckled softly and pinched Bel's cheek. "Don't let his words get to you, dear. You know he's only joking."

"Oh. We're here." Mario announced, stopping in front of a huge gate. Behind its bars was a stone path leading to a forest of trees. The summer house wasn't visibly under the shadows of the army of trees. Mario pressed a button on one side of the gate's columns.

"Hello? Mr. Wallace? It's me, Mario di Angelo. You have guests." Mario spoke. A red light shined above the button Mario pressed.

_["Guests? May I know who they are?"]_

Cherrie stepped forward and spoke, "Princess Cherrie de Calligenia de Nhite. I brought you Earl Vincent's escutcheon as an order from my older sister, Queen Sharia de Calligenia de Nhite."

_["Ah, yes, yes. Do come in, your highness."]_

The red light vanished and the gates started opening. Creaking sounds were heard all over, as if the gates weren't oiled in the last few months. The trio walked inside and took another minute or two before they saw Mr. Wallace in his black suit. He was standing beside an outdoor dining table with four chairs.

"Welcome, your highness. My name is William Wallace II. You can call me Mr. Wallace. A pleasure to meet you." Mr. Wallace bowed deeply. He ushered a seat for the princess and the prince. Mario sat on one of the chairs too.

"I was instructed to escort the Earl's escutcheon flag to this place by my sister." Bel pushed the box towards the direction of Mr. Wallace.

"Thank you for your trouble, milady. I was expecting this flag to arrive in a few more days. But it seems the craftsman finished it rather early." Said Mr. Wallace, opening the box and unfurled the flag.

The escutcheon was big enough to cover the table. It was bright red with the coat of arms stitched brightly in gold right in the middle. A stallion and a lion were battling each other inside the four quarters of the insignia, woven in glossy silver. A blue dragon surrounded the coat of arms in the background. Bel, Cherrie and Mario were mesmerized. The artistry was so majestic, nobody said a word.

_I think I've seen this before. But I can't decipher where. Must be the emblem of a previous nobleman I killed._ Bel thought to himself, yet his curiosity didn't left him.

"Very beautiful, isn't it? It was the Earl's older brother's family crest. But his family died a long, long time ago when a group of crooks attacked the land he was occupying." Mr. Wallace explained, admiring the escutcheon. He started folding it and returned it back to the box.

"Oh, that's quite unfortunate." Cherrie said.

"If it is his older brother's coat of arms, then why did the Earl hire someone to make it? Doesn't he have his own?" Asked Bel, quite curious on the matter.

"Yes, he does. But one day, he found a box that belonged to his older brother. It had important papers, including his Last Will. . .ahh, the rest of it is of private matters. I'm sorry I cannot tell you. But let's just say he wants to remember his brother with this escutcheon, alright?" Mr. Wallace chuckled.

"I understand. Thank you for your time, Mr. Wallace. Our task here is complete. Please send our regards to the Earl when he comes back." Cherrie stood up and bowed to Mr. Wallace.

"Thank you for doing your task well."

"I have a question though," Bel suddenly asked. "What is the Earl's full name?" Cherrie gave him a look of surprise.

"His full name? He doesn't have a full name, but he has a title: Vincent el Pazzo dela Draco." The servant humbly answered. Both Cherrie and Bel froze.

_Vincent. . . el Pazzo?!_

(I know most of you forgot, so I'll remind you why Earl Vincent's name is so shocking. Bel's full name, in this fan fiction of course, is Belphegor el Pazzo de Fiore, or Belphegor the Insane of Fiore.)

**.:.:.:.:.:.**

About half an hour later, the trio safely made their way back to the di Angelo's music shop. A large moving truck was parked in front of it. Outside were Antonio and Frederico talking to a chubby man with a towel around his neck.

"Welcome back you three. Did the delivery go well?" Asks Frederico the moment he saw them. Each head nodded in unison. "If you are wondering, this is Paul. He's the person who'll deliver the fiddles to Nhite."

"Nice ter meet ya." The guy named Paul greeted.

"Are the violins safely inside, Mr. Paul?" Cherrie asked.

" 'was 'bout ter leave, ma'am. No w'rries. I'll deliver yer fiddle-diddles to Nhite safe 'n sound. Not a scratch on 'em. Promise." He boarded himself on the driver's seat as he waved a hand in Cherrie's direction. With a turn of his keys, the truck's engine roared to life. She waved back and Paul drove off.

"We should be going as well. It's a pleasure meeting you." Cherrie bowed to Antonio and Frederico. She patted Mario head and gave him a smile.

"The pleasure's all ours, your highnesses." Antonio said. Cherrie and Bel started to walk away when Mario suddenly asked a postscript question.

"Ms. Cherrie, I was wondering. If both of you are really a prince and a princess, then shouldn't you have bodyguards to accompany you?"

Stunned, the couple just smiled at the boy. Bodyguards? Who would need a bodyguard when you're one of the world's top-ranking assassins?

"Let's just say, both of us came from a Self-Defense school and are trained to kick people who nose in into other people's businesses. Shishi." Bel answered smugly. The grin on his face reached up to his ears. Cherrie grinned along with him.

**END OF PART 3**

* * *

The longest one so far -_-

I'm really, really sorry. There are too many OCs here and it was hard to maintain a proper conversation with every character. And I've noticed Bel has gotten a bit OOC too.

Regarding the mysterious Earl Vincent, there are still so many questions and answers. Do you think the Earl is a relative of Bel just because they have the same last name? What is Sharia's wedding gift that had to make Bel and Cherrie run around flying to different countries doing odd jobs?

Find out in the next chapters. Lol. Look forward to it!

**Chapter 3 – Wedding Gift Hunting: Sharia-style Part 4** coming up.


	6. Chapter 3 : Wedding Gift Hunting - Part4

**Happy New Year!**

Sorry it took so long to finish this. But here it is, the long awaited 'next chapter'~!

**_Warning: OOC Bel and way too many OCs~_**

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Wedding Gift Hunting: Sharia-style Part 4**

_The next day. . ._

The regal couple was on their way to Gothsberg on train. Gothsberg is two hundred twenty miles from Vienna, Austria, a good 4 and a half hour ride on the train. They still have two hours ahead of them. It was nine in the morning and the two were having their morning snacks. Bel and Cherrie were seated beside each other. Their bags were piled on the empty bench in front of them.

Suddenly, Bel had the urge to discuss to Cherrie about the revelation the day before.

"Hey, do you think it's possible for Earl Vincent to be my uncle?" He asked, sipping his warm cup of coffee.

"Why do you ask me? I don't know anything about his background. And besides, Mr. Wallace said his older brother's family was killed because of crooks. But you're the one who killed your own family." She bit the last bit of her peanut butter sandwich and drank her orange juice. An attendant walked past them and relieved them of their plates.

"Can I get another glass of orange juice, Miss? Thank you." Cherrie said. When the attendant was gone, she rested her head on Bel's shoulder. "You should have immediately recognized the insignia if it were your family's."

"Shishi. It did look familiar. Maybe I was the one who killed the Earl's older brother and saw the insignia by chance. But I'm still troubled on _who_ the Earl is and _why_ does he and I have the same title." Bel rested his head on Cherrie's head.

"It could just be a coincidence. There are lot things here in our world that happens by chance." The apple blonde said, glancing at the other passengers of the train.

"Miss, here's your orange juice." The attendant gave Cherrie a glass of sparkling orange juice. The princess thanked her and they exchange smiles. As she sipped the concoction, her husband asked again a question.

"What did you mean when you said I didn't want kids of my own?" He pouted, although he didn't let her see it, Bel turned his head away from Cherrie's face, looking at the grazing cattle outside the window, blushing slightly.

Cherrie was taken aback. She hesitated to answer. "I-uhm. . . Well, you said you hate kids, so I was thinking, s-since we're ma-married and all. . ." She sweat-dropped. Marriage is one thing, having kids is another.

"Of course I want a kid of my own." He answered the question, blushing tremendously. "Th-that's what every man in the nobility would want. An offspring, a ball of joy—"

"An heir?" Cherrie said.

Bel flinched. He turned around to see that Cherrie's face was as red as him. "Uh-yeah, an heir. But in my current state, I have nothing to pass down to my child. . . And kids these days, all they want is something in return. And they'll protest if we don't give them anything. But, —" Bel patted Cherrie's head. For a brief moment, their eyes locked on to each other and immediately, they looked away.

"If it's _our_ child, then I'd do my best to make him happy, to make us happy. And our happy memories will be enough to pass it on to him, then to his children, and his children's children. . ." Bel drew to a pause, glancing over at the apple blonde beside him. She started stuttering words nobody could hear except herself.

_It's n-normal, right? Normal._ Cherrie thought. _Everyone wants a child when they are married. Even him. H-he is a prince after all. Every prince would be happy to have an heir. Baka Cherrie! Why did you even replied in the first place?! I bet he's thinking weird thoughts about me, saying I'm taking things too fast._

Cherrie frantically tried to remove the redness on her cheeks but failed when she tried to look at Bel, who was also red in the cheeks.

_Baka! Why did you let your emotions get a hold of you? Where did I find the guts to talk about heirs and happy memories? You blew it this time Belphegor. She'll certainly think of me as an uncool fallen prince who's got nothing else to do but whine. Then she won't learn to fall in love with me. . ._

"Hey, Chei. Do you love me?" _Crap._ Bel cursed and looked away, gazing continually on the scenery outside the window. That came out all of a sudden.

"Ee-eeh?!" Cherrie instantly replied. But no other words came right after. She looked at her lap. Her fingers were twitching and creasing her skirt. An awkward silence befell upon the awkward situation.

"I, I-I see." Bel said in a downhearted tone, resting his elbow on the windowsill. Although Cherrie couldn't see his eyes, she knew he was trying to sleep.

_Or maybe he's thinking that I don't love him? I do, but, not _love _love. I'm still seeing him as a friend, someone who I can count on. But it's not like I hate him. It's just, well, this marriage is too sudden. You can't expect me to fall in love immediately, right?_

The next thing they noticed, they were already in Gothsberg station.

**.:.:.:.:.:.**

They rented a taxi going to the Prince's palace. The fifteen minute ride was as quiet as the final hours on the train. None said a word. None even attempted to speak or explain his/her side. Only the occasional coughs and mild sneezes can be heard. Cherrie and Bel were seated at the back seats, one on each end, eyeing everything outside the window, but glancing every now and then to the other.

Arriving at the Palace, two guards blocked the gates and asked for the passengers' identities. Cherrie gently said who they are and their purpose. A minute later, one of the guards opened the gates and let the taxi in. One guard showed them where the visitor's parking lot is.

"Bel, why don't you stay here?" Cherrie said as she unmounts the cab. Bel gave a small nod. His elbow was resting upon the windowsill and his head is resting on his palm. He obviously wasn't in the mood to join her today.

She was waiting for him to reply verbally, but none of it came. Sighing, she gave instructions to the taxi driver to wait for her and keep an eye on Bel and their belongings. The driver nodded and asked no questions.

As Cherrie slowly walked to the main doors of the palace, she couldn't keep her mind out of Bel and the awkward moment they just had. Awkward, it truly was. She didn't notice that she was unconsciously walking on her own and her feet carried her face to face with the Prince's office door. She was about to knock when someone called her name from the hallway to her right.

"Is that you, Princess Cherrie?" A female's voice echoed. The apple blonde turned her head and saw a woman in her late forties. She had her chestnut hair in a neat bun and she wore a plain lime green dress all the way down to the floor, only a glossy black belt accessorizing the attire.

"Ah, Lady Antoinette. It's nice to see you again." The princess curtsied. Lady Antoinette is the Prince of Gothsberg's spouse. The Prince and his wife helped Queen Sharia rebuild Nhite Kingdom after the massacre.

"Look how much you've grown. The last time I—" Before the Lady finished her sentence, the Prince's office door opened. Cherrie and Lady Antoinette turned their heads to the open room. A handsome young man in his mid-twenties opened the door from the inside. He had golden spiky hair neatly combed into place and his bright green eyes twinkled as he saw the princess.

"Mother, and . . . Milady, Princess Cherrie." The young man bowed and kissed the apple blonde's right hand.

"It's been such a long time since we saw each other. Glad to see you well, Philip." Cherrie smiled. Philip blushed. (if you can recall from Storm Clouds, I imagined Usui Takumi as Philip)

"Princess Cherrie de Calligenia. It has been quite a while indeed." From behind Philip, a new voice emerged. He stood up from where he was seated and acknowledged the princess by kissing her right hand too. "Please, do have a seat." He gestured towards the center of his room, Cherrie followed and she sat next to Lady Antoinette.

"What might the beautiful Calligenia be doing here?" Playfully, the Prince of Gothsberg asked, seating in front of Cherrie. Philip sat beside him.

"I'm here on an important task. I was asked by my sister, the queen, to retrieve a document from you, Lord Portezzio."

"Ah, of course. And here I thought you finally agreed to marry Philip. Ho ho ho~" Lady Antoinette giggled and Philip blushed. Cherrie gulped. Lord Portezzio chuckled and stood up, patted Philip at the back and headed to his desk.

_I forgot, my wedding with Bel was private, so even they don't know._

"Uh, ahaha. . ." Cherrie waved her hands in front of her to shoo away the awkward tension in the air. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm kind of in a hurry. So, uhm. . . if you don't mind. . ."

The Prince smiled slyly and immediately hastily searched his desk. After a minute, he found what he was looking for. In his hand was a medium-size brown envelope.

"Her Majesty, Queen Sharia informed us last night that she won't be able to come to our meeting. Instead she told us that you'll be coming in her place. So I gathered all the documents she asked of me. Here you go _principessa_." The Prince handed over the envelope to Cherrie and added, "She also told me to tell not to peek inside, or else your surprise will be ruined."

Cherrie was taken aback. "Y-you know about my quest?"

"No, I was only told to tell you that."

"Oh-ohh." She sighed. "Thank you, your highness. I shall take my leave now." She stood up from where she is seated, bowed to the Prince and Lady Antoinette, and started walking out the room.

"I'll escort you, Milady." Philip offered, sidestepping to walk beside the princess.

"Uhm, thanks."

Their walk to the taxi Cherrie rented was short lived when a spotted black and white ball jumped into their path. Looking over to the flower field where the ball came from, Cherrie led out a gasp. Bel was running towards them, but his attention was on the soccer ball.

"Shishi~" He laughed and kicked the ball back to the field, not noticing Cherrie or Philip at all.

Back at the field, a young girl of 12 blocked the soccer ball before it bounces off to the other side of the field. She passes it to another girl about the age of 7 who kicked the ball hard and made it land on the 'goal' which composes a small net attached to two rose bushes.

"Yeah! Did you see that, Ellie? I scored a goal!" The younger female ran to the older and gave her a bear hug. The older patted the younger's head and smiled. "You sure did, Doms. I can't wait to play soccer with big brother Philip."

Bel walked closer to the blonde sisters and grinned. "Good game, belladonnas. Shishi."

"Thank you for playing with us, mister. It was fun!" Doms said, giving Bel a small hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Wa-ah? Didn't your mother told you kissing a stranger is bad? Especially a married one. . ." He grinned and returned the kiss to the little girl.

"Nope. She hasn't yet." Oddly, the girl named Ellie gave Bel a kiss too. "Th-that was for playing with us, mister."

"Belphegor. My name is Belphegor. Nice to meet you." Without him noticing, he gave out a smile, no not the regular maniacal grin, but a pure smile, as if the game he played with the two girls was the best experience he had so far.

"Elizabeth! Dominique!" Philip shouted from the open corridor he and Cherrie was standing on. When the girls heard him, they immediately started running towards his direction, tagging Bel along with them.

"Come on, Mr. Belphegor. We want you to meet our big brother!" Dominique said with excitement.

With his inhumane eyes, he already saw Philip waiting for them and, to his surprise, Cherrie beside him. There was a slight pout in Cherrie's lips which made him nervous. He still hasn't recovered from their earlier conversation and just killed time playing with the little ladies.

"Philip! Met our new friend, Mr. Belphegor! He played with us and we scored a goal!" Eagerly, Ellie said, hugging her brother. Doms did the same.

"I saw, and that kick was amazing, Doms! Really powerful." Philip commented and disheveled his sister's heads. He then had his attention to Bel, who was quite all this time, but had an amused façade.

"Thank you for playing with them, Mr. Belphegor." He offered a hand for him to shake, but Bel refused.

"I was just wondering what it would feel like playing with children, since I'm planning on having one of my own someday. Shishishi~" He laughed, scratching Doms and Ellie's heads. Cherrie, who was forgotten at the moment, flinched at what Bel said.

_So, he was thinking about what we discussed earlier._

"And what did it felt like?" Philip asked, entertained with Bel's sudden statement.

"Hmm…" The prince sighed. Then he stole a glance at Cherrie. "I felt like I wanna have a kid of my own soon."

Cherrie couldn't take it anymore. Her face turned red as Bel said those words. "B-bel!" The flushed princess hit her husband with the envelope she received from Lord Portezzio.

"Ahh, you two know each other?" Confused, Philip blinked a number of times, shifting his gaze from Cherrie to Bel. Both nodded.

"He's my husband—"

"She's my wife—"

They both said in unison, which made Cherrie flush even more. The three blondes gaped.

"You're married?!" Philip asked, staring at Cherrie.

The couple nodded. Cherrie hesitated and started excusing themselves before Philip asks questions about Bel's background.

"We better be going, Philip. We still need to travel back to Nhite to deliver this to my sister. It was nice seeing you again, you too Elizabeth, Dominique. Keep an eye on your brother for me, okay?" The apple blonde then took Bel's hand and led him out the courtyard and on to the area where their taxi was waiting.

"I'm sorry Milady, but your husband suddenly said he wanted some fresh air—" the driver explained but Cherrie raised a hand, telling him that she understands. The couple seated themselves on each end again.

Bel was looking outside the window again and Cherrie looked at him. When Bel didn't notice her staring, she gave instructions to the driver.

"Mister, to the train station please." And with that, another silent 15 minute journey followed. It seems that Bel's detailed explanation on his weird behavior can wait another day.

**.:.:.:.:.:.**

In the middle of the train ride, Cherrie's phone rang. It was her sister calling. Normally, the queen would call her using her private number for emergencies, but this time, the queen used a different number, namely, her husband's. It must mean that it is important.

"Yes, hello?"

_["Ahh, Cherrie. The Prince informed me that you got the documents, right?"]_

"Yea. They're safely in my hands, and I haven't opened it yet, as you instructed."

_["Good. Where are you two right now?"]_

"Uhmm, we're on the train back to Vienna. Why?"

_["Would you mind going to Rome?"]_

"Rome?! Why?"

_["Well, we recently found out that one of our long lost relative is living in Rome and I want you two to reunite with him."]_

"But sis, that's—"

_["I know, I know. Both of you are really tired, but I promise you that this is my last request. Your gift is wrapped up, so when you return, I can give it to you right away. Besides, you only need to meet him and tell him about our whereabouts."]_

"Are you sure this relative of ours is no psycho? I mean, we're like royalty, but he doesn't know?"

_["You can ask him about that when you meet him, okay? I'll email you his address."]_

"Hnn… Fine. But you promise that this is our last task, or else I'll give up and go back home to Varia."

_["I promise, and thank you. I'll hang up now. I hope you two can find him. Ciao!"]_

"Yeah, bye."

Bel, who was asleep this whole time, was awoken by the conversation the two sisters had. Curiously, he asked what they were talking about.

"She said she's giving us her last task. And that is to reunite with a relative in Rome." Cherrie answered, sighing in despair. She was really tired now, physically and emotionally.

"Relative? Rome? Reunite? Those are a lot or 'R's. Shishi."

"Haha. Now that you mention it, yeah." Cherrie giggled. "Hey Bel."

"Hn?"

"Sorry for slapping you earlier." Face suddenly red again, Cherrie apologized. This was an opportunity for her to talk to him about their discussion earlier. "It was my fault for saying weird things. And for awkwardly answering your question."

"No. It was mine. I was being insecure about our relationship as husband and wife, and I didn't even think about your feelings when I ask you if you love me. I'm sorry." Bel replied weakly. This was the first time he's ever used this kind of tine when talking to someone. But if you asked me that question, well, I really do love you, for real."

"Eeeh?!"

"How about you, do you love me as well?"

"I-I, uhh, — You're saying weird things again, don't pressure me!"

Cherrie gave Bel a chop on the head.

"Geez, a simple 'Yes' or 'No' would do. You didn't have to hit me."

"Sah-sorry." Cherrie muttered words Bel couldn't hear.

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Y-yes. . . I love Bel too." Face all red, Cherrie hid herself from Bel by covering her face with her two hands.

_Ushishishi~ I'm really happy to have met you, _principessa_. You light up my world like nobody else._

**.:.:.:.:.:.**

"Are you sure this is the correct address?" Bel asked for the Nth time. They arrived in Rome the day after they got back from Gothsberg. It was at the peak of noon and the prince's tiara was slipping off from his head because of his sweaty scalp.

"This is what my sister gave, so it must be." Before them stood a hotel. "His room number is 221. Come on Bel and let's get this over with."

Upon entering the hotel lobby, the guards and other staff stared at the couple, especially at Bel, as they entered. It made the two feel uneasy, but they were used to it already. When Cherrie asked the receptionist about who lives in Room 221, the receptionist blinked, as if she was confused. Before Cherrie could ask what's wrong, a voice greeted them from behind.

"Ahh~ You two are early." Bel and Cherrie turned around to see who it was, expecting that it was their 'relative'.

And he was.

"S-siel?!"

"Ushesheshe~ Long time no see, little brother. And you must be my little sister-in-law. Nice to meet you. I'm Rasiel el Pazzo de Fiore, Bel's older twin brother."

**END OF PART4.**

* * *

Ahahaha. I hope you guys like it. And I'm sorry to say that the next chapter's gonna take a while too.

I kinda forgot the story plot for Chapter 5. Sorry!

Oh, and don't forget to leave a review!

**Chapter 3 – Wedding Gift Hunting: Sharia-style Part 5 **coming up next!


	7. Chapter 3 : Wedding Gift Hunting - Part5

****Thank you so much **LunaLightSerenade** and **Leo-in-Wonderland **for reviewing! It means a lot to me :D I hope you guys enjoy the second-to-the-last section of Chapter 3.

**Chapter 3 – Wedding Gift Hunting: Sharia-style Part 5**

It was pure silence when Rasiel escorted Bel and Cherrie outside to a restaurant. The twins were awkwardly avoiding each other's field of vision and Cherrie was getting annoyed by the minute. They're wasting precious time. She should be back in the Varia HQ by now, enjoying Bel's luxurious king-size bed. But she's stuck here, in the middle of Rome, watching over her husband and her brother-in-law.

"So, uhm, my sister said—" Cherrie spoke but Rasiel's index finger silenced her.

"Sheshe. I know all about your sister's little game of wild goose chase around Europe doing strange tasks. Actually, I'm one of the clues to solving her amateurish puzzle."

"Puzzle?" Cherrie asked, jolting at the sudden revelation.

"Yes, a puzzle for both of you to solve. I would be spoiling her neatly-thought plan and the reason behind all this gibberish in the first place if I prolong my stay here, so I'm telling you what I was told to tell.

After my meeting with you today, don't return to the Varia Base, the Vongola Mansion or all the other places you can think of going, because none of the people you know aren't there anymore. They are in some place special, a place where your wedding gift is at. If you figure out the gift's address by recalling important details during your little adventure around Europe, then you'll get the gift and you will solve Queen Sharia's puzzle. That's all I have to say."

"Wait, what are you talking about?!" Bel was confused. Puzzle? Gift's address? What on earth?!

"I mean what I said. — I've done with my job, so I'm leaving you two to solve the last part of Sharia's game. Good luck. All of us will be waiting for both of you. Ciao~"

Rasiel left the restaurant, grinning. The newly-weds sat frozen, trying to digest the information the blond prince just gave.

"Shesheshe~ Let's see if they could win this game. The prize is very interesting too." The older blond smirked as hailing as taxi.

"Okay. My sister has totally gone insane." Cherrie concluded, seeing Rasiel mount a taxi.

"Shishi~ But look here, at least she has given us clues. — Let's see." Bel giggled.

Cherrie sighed and took out a pad of paper and a pen. She scribbled down the different tasks her sister gave for the past days. Rasiel did say we'll figure out the puzzle if they recall the important details on their tasks.

"First, she sent us shopping."

"Then, asked us to retrieve the violins."

"After which, we escorted Earl Vincent's escutcheon."

"Then we went to Gothsberg to retrieve an important document."

"Lastly, she asked us to reunite with Rasiel, _a long-lost relative_, here in Rome. . . Wait a sec. . . ." Cherrie paused. A tingle travelled down her spine.

"What? Did you figure it out already? Shishi." Asked Bel, interested at how fast his wife can analyze things.

"No, not yet. I just recalled what you said yesterday: _Relative? Rome? Reunite? Those are a lot of 'R's_. What if . . ." Cherrie placed a huge capital R beside what she wrote about them reuniting with Rasiel. She looked upwardly and studied the first task. _Shopping._ Instinctively, she brought out the box containing the pair of sandals her sister ordered. She read the taped label: _Order: Othello's Limited Open-Toe Sandals. Reserved for Sharia de Calligenia._

"O." She placed a capital O beside the first task. "O was repeated on the label, so O must be a clue." She concluded.

"Shishi~ Great. We'll be able to solve this puzzle in no time." Bel commented, looking at the piece of paper, trying to figure something out too. "Here. The third task. It's E. _Escort. Earl. Escutcheon_. The queen could have used Family Crest for easier understanding, but she used 'escutcheon' instead, meaning, it's part of the clue."

Cherrie smiled and nodded. Happily, she placed a capital E beside the third task. Only two left.

**"O - E - R"**

The two silently studied the clues they have formed. It's still a bit blurry, but they have faith that they will be able to solve this puzzle together.

Following Rasiel's advice, Cherrie took out the piece of paper Antonio di Angelo gave when they were to fetch the violins. She reread the letter twice. Finding no clue, Cherrie gave the paper to Bel. The prince beamed his infamous Cheshire-cat grin as he told his wife his finding. "I."

"What?" Cherrie asked, confused.

"If you may have noticed, dear Chei, the clues have been the main subject of the tasks itself. Look, at Paris, we were asked to retrieve the ordered clothes in the list your sister gave, and we have Clue O." Bel pointed to the box containing the pair of sandals. "She must have thought that we won't get the hint, so she ordered an open-toe sandal from the boutique, Othello. And the rest follows."

"I see. I never thought of it that way. Clue E for the Earl's escutcheon. Clue R for Rasiel. I get it now. Then that means that the remaining two are . . ." Cherrie grabbed her pen to write down the remaining two letters.

"The letters 'I' and 'V'." Bel finished. "The letter 'I' because she capitalized the word 'important' on the letter thrice, meaning it must have be a clue, and the letter 'V' for violins. Shishi~ We did it, finally." The prince sighed thankfully, leaning back on his seat.

"If I think about it carefully, Rasiel was right. This is a childish-type of puzzle. It's so easy to answer!" Cherrie giggled, writing down the last two letters. But a second later, she frowned. Bel noticed the change in his wife's façade and asked why.

"The next step is, to understand what these letters mean: **OVEIR**." Cherrie intertwined her fingers, as if praying, heaving a deep, disordered sigh. "It's back to square one again."

"Shishi~ I guess you spoke too soon. If we recalled what Siel told us earlier, he was talking about our gift's address. Maybe this is where our gift is located and where our relatives are hiding. If so, then where? I never heard of a place called Oveir before."

"Me neither. Gosh this is so hard. Let see . . . Maybe she jumbled up the letters to confuse us." Cherrie then scribbled down possible words, but stopping halfway since there are, according to the rules of permutation, 120 possible outcomes.

Bel was quiet for a while, thinking of the situation before him. He forced his mind to replay everything that happened during their adventure: from the time Cherrie gave him a peck in Paris, to the time Mario challenged him in Vienna, to the time Cherrie offered to buy him Rosaline the White Grand Piano — hold on a thought.

"Fiddles." Bel muttered.

Cherrie paused, looking up at Bel who suddenly said something random. She blinked for a while, waiting for the prince's explanation on why he said the word 'fiddle'.

"Bel?"

The serious face Bel had earlier disappeared and was replaced by a victorious front. "Ushishishi~ I think I figured it out. Fiddles were the olden name for violins."

"Fiddles? Now that you mention it, Mr. Antonio and the others, even the driver Paul, never called the violins as violins but fiddles." Cherrie said, eyes doubling in size. Immediately, she changed the letter V to F. It is now: **OFEI****R**.

"I thought so, shishi~" Bel leaned forward, laughing maniacally.

"What is it? Did you solve it? What's the answer?" Excitedly, the princess inquired.

"Queen Sharia is asking us to go back to my birthplace, my home, **FIORE**."

**END OF PART 5**

* * *

Yush! After so long, Part 5 is finished. Thank you for waiting. I haven't had the time to ask my constant beta-reader to beta this, so I'm sorry for the errors I have up there.

Now, the puzzle has been solved, but what is this gift Queen Sharia is dying to hide? Will the mysterious Earl Vincent ever makes his appearance? And why is Jeropi so attached to Xanxus?

Tell me your guesses in the form of reviews!

Sneak Peek:

Final: **Chapter 3 – Wedding Gift Hunting: Sharia-style Part 6 **coming up next.


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